Every time a red traffic light changes to green, and cars take their time to advance, I think back on Swedish traffic lights, where yellow comes both before and after the red light making traffic advance quicker. I’ve always wondered why it’s not like that everywhere around the world. It’s genius, isn’t it? So much frustration taken away by one simple change.
And yet every little dynamic in the way a country operates is based on culture: it’s a process, and it takes time, but more than anything, it needs awareness. Once enough people are aware of a different way, that fits their needs and the times they are living in, everything begins to shift. Traffic lights are not a priority for me, but women’s issues are.
We are in desperate need for a tipping point that will lead to a more equitable society, for the good of that society, and not for the good of women as some might think of it. Change must come from the root, and the root is history and the understanding of those biological principles that were limiting in nomad civilizations, and don’t apply anymore to a sedentary society. The current mindset is not bringing positive change to the world.
We must remember where we come from, and what I mean through this statement is the understanding of Mother Earth as the core of human existence, and the equilibrium and respect to Her as a priority. That strength is found in feminine power, and more than anything in indigenous women, who live closest to Her.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned from living abroad and adapting to different cultures is that it’s up to each generation to set the rules by which they will live. It’s up to us to decide. Governments and Patriarchy are just the result of many generations of decisions. Let’s decide better this time, and make equality a priority in the way we raise our children and we live our lives. In the way we speak about ourselves and others. In the way we consume and the content that we produce.
This week I’m sharing with you the journeys of two braids I deeply admire: Rigoberta Menchú and Eufronsina Cruz Mendoza.
We’ve always been in charge, but perhaps we hadn’t noticed.
It starts now.
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